Some Good Left
by ToonMasta
Summary: A follow-up fic to "Missive From a Repenting Soul," this story follows the unexpected relationship that grows between convicted felon Tohru Adachi and former investigation team member Chie Satonaka over a period of several years.
1. Chapter 1

Of all the people to come visit him in prison, she was the one he'd least expected. Maybe that was why he found himself so excited when she would come by. Or maybe it was something about her... That always-cheerful spirit seemed to wear on him.

~~~ 

The first time Chie Satonaka came to visit Tohru Adachi during his confinement in prison, she seemed scared. Her face showed unease, and it seemed like she didn't know what to expect. Maybe she was just as surprised to see him as he was to see her, which seemed strange considering she'd been the one who decided to visit him. Maybe she was second guessing herself... 

"Hey..." He broke the silence from his side of the plexi-glass window, speaking into the phone in a tired voice, "Never would've expected to see _you_ here." 

"H-Hi..." she replied nervously, letting out a frightened squeak. He smirked a little but managed not to laugh, and that suddenly seemed to ease the tension a bit. She puffed out her cheeks and pouted, "D-don't laugh, it's not funny!" Her face was red and she was clearly embarrassed. 

"No, it's not funny... but it's kinda cute..." he chuckled, but he might have gone too far. She backed away from the window, a little scared by his tone of voice. 

"So you... you really killed... Ms Yamano and Saki-senpai?" she wasn't looking at him, she couldn't bear to, so she jumped a little when she heard the thud of his forehead pressing against the window. He was looking down, and he looked sad. 

"Yeah. Not like I can deny it, I confessed. That's why I'm in here, y'know..." His voice was an odd mix of bitter and amused. It, like so many other things she could think of about him at the moment, scared her. 

"Why? I mean... you helped us save Nanako so you must be a good person..." She didn't mean it to sound so naive. What she'd really meant to say was that there must be some good in him. 

"You really believe that? There's no good people, and anyone who thinks there are is a liar or an idiot." He scoffed, looking to the side. Truth be told, he wanted to believe her but right now it was too much for him to admit. 

"That's not true..." she frowned, staring at his empty hand drumming the table on the other side of the glass, "Even... even people who do really bad things have some good in them." 

That conversation hadn't gone on much after that, and Adachi assumed that would be the last he saw of her, that his 'rough exterior' would've scared her off. But a few months later she was back again.

~~~ 

"You... came back?" Adachi couldn't hide the surprise on his face, especially considering that she was smiling so brightly this time. His eyes were wide and his mouth hung open, he almost dropped the phone, but managed to catch himself. Chie laughed at that. 

"Yep! I'm convinced you're not a lost cause!" she smiled, before leaning forward and going on, "Oh, you might've already heard this, but Nanako's made a complete recovery!" she winked and smiled bigger, which he hadn't thought was possible since she was already so cheerful it was almost blinding to look at her. 

"Really? Th-that's so great!" He actually hadn't known, it'd been a while since Dojima had visited, he realized. Well, not that long, really, but the last time he'd visited Nanako had still been in the hospital. 

"I thought you'd be happy to hear that! See? There's some good in you after all!" Chie poked her finger at the window teasingly and Adachi sighed - but not without a slight smile - and shook his head. 

Conversations continued like that for the first year. There was usually about a month between each visit - Adachi assumed she was coming by herself since he never saw anyone with her, so maybe it was hard getting the time or maybe she had to save for a while to afford the train fare - the prison was outside city limits, so walking wasn't an option. Each time Chie would update him on everyone else - particularly the Dojima's, since that was all he was really interested in - make some comment about there being some good in him, and leave it at that. After a couple more visits, she started asking more personal - but trivial - questions.

~~~ 

"What's your favorite color, Adachi-san?" Chie tilted her head to the side and it almost seemed like she was talking to a new friend and not a convicted felon. 

"Hmm... green." He answered with a nod after thinking it over for a minute. 

"Really? Mine too! What kind of green?" she bubbled, and he just stared back utterly puzzled. 

"Um... light green?" He answered hesitantly, turning his answer into a question as if she was quizzing him. 

"Wooow! That's so weird... what's your favorite animal?" It was like twenty questions. Twenty dumb questions you might ask a little kid. Why did she want to know all of this? 

"Um... ducks, I guess? I like dogs, too... Oh, and kappas! But those aren't real, so I don't know if they count..." He looked even more confused now. 

"Uh-huh, I see..." the way she was talking, he thought she was writing it down for future reference, but when he looked at her she just seemed to be concentrating really hard, "I'll be sure to remember that..." Remember it? Remember it for what? 

"O...kay... is that all you came here to talk about?" he backed away from the window with a raised eyebrow. 

"Pretty much... oh! One more thing! What's your favorite food?" she smiled at him and he could no longer fathom what might have been going through her head, if anything. Despite this, he answered this question much quicker than the last two. 

"Cabbage." the word was out of his mouth before he even seemed to know he was talking, and she wrinkled her nose at him and gave him a weird look. 

"Really? _Cabbage?_ Well, whatever..." she shrugged and started to stand up, pulling the phone away from her ear. 

"Wait, what? That's it? That's all you've got to say to me?" he stood up and was quickly embarrassed for how angry his outburst had sounded. 

"Am I forgetting something? Oh, um! Bye, Adachi-san! Be good and I'll see you next time!" she waved as she put down the phone and headed out. He just stood there dumbly for a few seconds, still trying to grasp what had just happened.

~~~ 

About a month later part of the mystery was solved for him in the form of mail. The envelope was green, and he could've guessed it was from her without reading the return address. Inside was a card in a different shade of green - handmade by the looks of it, as was the envelope. It had the feeling of a "Get well soon" card written by a child. 

On the front of the card was a duck holding an umbrella that had been made out of paper and pasted on. There weren't any words on the outside, but when he opened it there were more cut-out paper animals: a dog with a fishing pole and a kappa biting the end of it. It was so bizarre that he almost forgot to read what was written in it. Shaking his head, he looked it over again and read the words: 

For Adachi-san. If this makes you smile even a little, then there's good in you. 

There was a smiley face sticking its tongue out before the signature "Chie Satonaka," and - although he was trying not to, just to be contrary - he couldn't help but smile at the card. What a strange, happy girl she was.

~~~ 

From then on, slowly, there was a change in Adachi. He began moping around his cell less and less and started humming to himself, or laughing to himself. It wasn't that he didn't feel bad for what he'd done to be put in here, but life didn't seem quite as pointless anymore. He looked forward to visits from everyone, but especially Chie - she always had something silly or strange to say. 

Chie's visits grew gradually more frequent, but Adachi didn't notice because it seemed like so long in between visits. His inmate - a scrawny guy named Yashiro Nikata who usually kept to himself - even started commenting on Adachi's change in mood, usually asking him if he had a girlfriend - which would occasionally set Adachi over the edge and cause him to start yelling at him. He would deny to his inmate, to himself, and to anyone else who asked having anything more than friendly feelings for Chie Satonaka - she was still a teenager, after all. 

But time, as he had begun to notice, was moving more quickly than he realized. He'd already been here almost two years. Nanako was almost nine now and Dojima's nephew had gone home and stopped visiting altogether, but he would've been out of high school. Which meant that Chie was out of high school, too. But every time he started to think about that he had to shake his head. 

The snow came and most visits seemed to stop for a while. Before the year was over, though, the Dojimas and Chie had both come to visit and ask about Christmas and New Year's present ideas. Adachi had shook his head at both of them, saying it was just a hassle and that he didn't really want anything, but at the end of the year he found himself with a scarf, hat, and mittens set from Nanako, a simply designed coffee mug from Dojima (which was confiscated due to the possibility of Adachi breaking it and trying to cut himself on the ceramic edges. Dojima should've known better), and another cutesy card from Chie with a sort of I.O.U. slip inside: 

Sorry there's no present! Tell me when your birthday is next time! 

But by the time she came to visit again, his birthday would have already come and gone. February was a little too soon after New Year's for her to have gotten him anything, anyway.

~~~ 

Chie visited again in mid-March, on a date that puzzled Adachi in particular. March 14th, or White Day, was when boys gave gifts to girls who had given them Valentine's, so why was a perfectly eligible girl spending her White Day at a prison? 

"Shouldn't you be spending the day with your boyfriend or something?" He had asked partly in an attempt to find out if she had a boyfriend, and partly out of bitterness toward said possibly-existent boyfriend. 

"I-I don't..." Chie looked down, apparently upset, and he was afraid he'd offended her by asking, "I don't have a boyfriend. _I've never had a boyfriend!"_ Ok, yeah, she was definitely upset. He had ruined any other attempt at talking with her that day, either, because she started to cry, then yelled at him for staring at her, and then left. 

For the first time since she'd started visiting him he felt like he'd really screwed up. It wasn't even on purpose, but he'd obviously really struck a nerve. For a long time after that he obsessed over it, wishing he could take it back, wondering if she would ever come to visit again, and then wondering why he cared so much if she did or not. Words like 'boyfriend' and 'never' swirled around in his mind, too, and against his will he started to have thoughts. Dirty thoughts. Chie was nineteen now, out of high school and ready to start college, but in his thoughts he'd imagine her in her school uniform, blushing so adorably, lifting up her skirt... 

It was just brief thoughts like that, at first. Nothing too dirty, just mental fanservice and panty shots. But as the weeks went by and she still didn't come back, he found himself increasingly preoccupied with thinking about her. The thoughts themselves still weren't that dirty, but they could not have picked more inappropriate - or appropriate, depending on how you looked at it - times to come into his head.

~~~ 

It was actually one of these inappropriate times when he got the news. He was having a dream when Yashiro shook him awake, a mocking and still perverted grin on his face, and told him that "his girlfriend" was there to see him. Adachi had scrambled awake, ridiculously embarrassed, and hurried to go meet her. He'd been unable to shake the embarrassed blush from his face as he answered the phone - completely avoiding eye contact with her lest he get a nosebleed. 

"I-I'm sorry about last time, Adachi-san..." she said, "You were just asking a question, I shouldn't have gotten so upset..." She seemed sincere about it, which ironically only made Adachi feel worse for having asked in the first place. 

"I-It's alright." he swallowed the rising lump in his throat. _And you can call me Tohru..._ he wanted to say, but kept to himself, "I'm just glad you came back, I thought for sure you were going to stop visiting altogether." 

"What? That's silly! I wouldn't stop coming over something like that!" she laughed, but he wanted to point out that it'd taken her over three months since her last visit to come back. "Anyway, how are you? Your face looks all red, have you been sick?" 

_Oh, I've been sick but not in the way you're thinking..._ he mused to himself and then wanted to hit himself. Her bright spirit made him want to be a good person, but her cute face and other... features... made him want to do such _bad_ things with her... It just wasn't fair. 

"Hello? Adachi-san? Ohmigod, are you ok?" she'd clapped a hand over her mouth and he realized that while he'd been off in his own little thoughts his nose actually _had_ started bleeding. 

"Ack! Y-yeah, I should be... I just need some tissues and I'll be..." he clamped a hand down on his nose to stop the bleeding and looked around for one of the wardens to get him some Kleenex. 

"I'm sorry you're not feeling good, maybe I should go..." Chie stood up to leave, and Adachi jumped into action, the hand that had been on his nose slamming against the window and leaving a small, smudgy trail of bloody fingerprints. 

"Wait! M-my birthday... It's February 1st! Sorry I didn't get to tell you last time. Uh... when's yours? Not that I'll be able to get you anything if I'm stuck in here, but I'd still like to know." he blurted it all out so fast it was a wonder she even understood what he was saying. 

"February? Aw, so then I missed it... Next year for sure I'll get you something, then! Oh, and mine's July 30th. Just a month away!" she smiled, "I'll be 20! I'll be able to drink!" 

He smiled, and for the first time since she'd started visiting he made a request of her. "If you can, try to visit again before then. You're probably doing stuff on your birthday, so..." he trailed off, and she nodded. 

"Ok, I'll try! See ya, Adachi-san. You take care!" she waved and left, and he dizzily let go of his nose, dropped the phone, and fell backwards onto the floor smiling to himself all the while.

~~~ 

She actually did visit on July 30th, he was surprised to see. She was dressed different - she'd gotten her hair cut recently, it looked like, and was wearing a cute little halter top and miniskirt combo - it wasn't her usual style, but it was _hot_ and Adachi had to yell at his brain to not _dare_ get another nosebleed. 

"Hey, happy birthday! I didn't expect you to actually come on your birthday; I thought you'd be out celebrating with friends..." He smiled, and for the first time wondered _I wonder if she thinks of me that way or if I'm too old for her..._

"Ah, I'm going out for a drink with some college friends tonight. This weekend I'm gonna hang out with Yukiko, but her birthday's not until December, so she can't drink yet." When she mentioned her college friends he realized there was so much he didn't know about her. She was free out there, on the outside. She didn't need to wait for him or for anyone; she could just take life in stride. While here he was counting down the days until he could get out of this hellhole... 

"Sorry I don't have a present... anything I could think of to give you is probably pretty creepy..." he laughed nervously, and she laughed with him. 

"Haha, it's ok! You're smiling! That's a good present!" 

"What are you talking about? Don't I always smile? He tilted his head to the side. 

"Hm... well... yeah, I guess you do lately! See? I told you that you were good!" she smiled smugly, and he wondered if she had any clue how he felt about her. 

"I guess you were right..." he laughed, thinking _if I'm good, it's because you changed me._ and alternately _If you knew some of the thoughts in my head you might not feel that way..._

"Keep it up and maybe they'll let you out even earlier!" she laughed, and winked but the suggestion actually registered and he considered it seriously for a moment. 

"You really think they would? I mean, like... good behavior or something?" The sooner he got out, the sooner he could... he stopped himself right there before he went too far. 

"Yeah! I mean, I don't see why not! If you need witnesses for that I'll testify! I'm sure Nanako and Dojima-san would, too!" If she hadn't added their names to the end he might've interpreted her words as a signal, but of course she was just being friendly and helpful. 

"Yeah... wouldn't that be peachy..." he smiled, his minding dancing around forbidden fruit. 

"Yup! Well, I've gotta get going. You keep smiling, ok?" she looked at him, but she hadn't needed to tell him. He was beaming at her, his mind still halfway in lala-land. 

"Huh? Oh, of course! Until next time!" he waved as she left.

~~~


	2. Chapter 2

He didn't see her again for a long time, but not because she didn't come. Shortly after her birthday visit, Adachi started going through parole hearings. His attorney was a shy and nervous man who didn't seem to have much courtroom experience, and for a while Adachi felt as though there was no point - he'd never get an early parole with this guy defending him - but things seemed to be going well. 

One of the times Adachi was pulled out of his cell to go to appeals court, there was a note for him. He recognized the handwriting and the paper cut-out animals immediately - why did she always go to all that trouble? - and when he read the note it said 

Good luck in court! Maybe you'll have a guardian angel! 

He couldn't figure out what that was supposed to mean, but he would find out soon enough. 

While he was in the lobby, his defense attorney came over and started talking to him. He wasn't really paying attention at first - as long as he didn't have to testify he'd let this guy handle all the work - until he mentioned character witnesses. He immediately thought of his last conversation with Chie... _If you need witnesses for that I'll testify!_ her cheery voice played over in his head and he looked up at his attorney hopefully. 

"Character witnesses?" he asked. 

"Yeah, y'know... friends or family. Well, friends in your case since we couldn't get ahold of any of your family. I was surprised so many people came forward." Many? There were a lot of people who wanted to testify for him? 

"Like who?" If he could just find out, that would be great. He just needed to hear her name and then he would feel so much better about this hearing. 

"Uh... I can't remember any names, but..." his heart sank and he viewed his attorney with half-baked contempt, "Your old partner, for one..." Well, Dojima had sort of been a given. He hoped, anyway, "And a couple of others? Sorry..." 

"Eh, it's ok..." It really wasn't. but it wasn't like he could tell his attorney he was an idiot when he was up for parole. After a few minutes the two stepped back into the courtroom and proceedings started. 

Dojima, as his attorney had mentioned, was the first to testify. They asked really vague questions, and Adachi was surprised to hear Dojima speak with so much praise for him. It was something he'd never heard his ex-partner do while he was still a cop. 

"Adachi wasn't a standout or anything, but he was a hard worker. Even when he was confessing to me, I could tell he regretted his actions. However..." and for some reason Adachi sensed he was going to say something bad about him here, but he worried for nothing, "the one thing I will never forget is how he went above and beyond to save my daughter when she'd been kidnapped and put in mortal danger." He looked Adachi in the eyes, and though the nearly three years since his arrest had aged Dojima, he still had that sharp gaze. This time it felt softer, probably in part because of the grateful smile and the tears prickling his eyes. 

During the recess between witnesses, Adachi asked his attorney who was testifying next. He once again was unsure of the witness's name, but he said it was a young woman and Adachi's heart leapt out of his chest. Young woman? Could that mean...? 

But back in the courtroom he was disappointed to see that the young woman in question was Naoto Shirogane. She was nineteen now, fresh out of high school, but she'd easily already gotten a job with the police force thanks to her previous experience. Her hair was a little longer than the last time he'd seen her, he noticed with some surprise, but other than that she looked no different - she was even still wearing her hat. 

"Adachi-san took responsibility for his actions during the brief time before his arrest, and attempted to make amends for his past errors." She spoke clinically, as always, but her words were still kind, "I also believe that he tried - perhaps not to the best of his ability, but he nevertheless made an attempt - to warn people when he learned that Nanako Dojima was in danger." She was talking, of course, about the letter, but it wasn't any sort of piece of evidence in this case. Perhaps it wasn't considered important. That was the end of that, and the judge cleared his throat. 

"We will adjourn shortly. I thank the witnesses for their time..." his heart sank in his chest as he thought miserably that Chie hadn't shown up. Her words before must have just been empty statements. The judge continued his sentence, though, "After this last witness. Miss Satonaka, you may take the stand..." and in the blink of an eye Adachi's entire expression had changed as his focus snapped back up to the witness stand. He watched with wide eyes as Chie made her way up - she was dressed for court in a matching jacket and skirt in navy blue, and her top was just low-cut enough that he could make out a hint of cleavage. She looked nervous, but he couldn't stop grinning dreamily. 

"Miss Satonaka, how can you attest to the prisoner's behavior?" the district attorney asked, pacing in front of the witness stand. 

"W-well... um..." whether she was nervous about being in court or about testifying on his behalf he wasn't sure, but she was obviously tense. Her eyes darted from the judge to the attorney to Adachi himself for a few seconds and he did his best to meet her gaze with a smile to help ease her nerves. "Every time I talked to him in the past, he was always really nice and helpful... Um... a-and he helped a lot to find Nanako! A _lot._" she looked directly at him as she said this, and there was an unspoken understanding that she was talking about persona. "Also, I've been visiting him and I really think he's changed... He seems a lot happier than when he was first arrested. Oh, um, but not in a way like he's proud of himself or anything! Like he's... uh, y'know... made peace with himself and what he's done?" She finished, wincing a little. 

It was more than enough. Everything she'd said. If he wasn't in handcuffs and being monitored by security, he would've jumped up and hugged her right then. Maybe her words wouldn't be the most convincing for the judge, but everything she'd said in those words meant something to him. She _understood._ She seemed to know what he was going through psychologically, and it only made his feelings stronger. After that, the trial was adjourned. He didn't get to talk to her, or even get very close, but he was really just happy she'd come. The judge decided in the end to give him parole a year early, meaning he had just over a year left of his sentence. It was September then, and he'd been imprisoned in mid-December.

~~~ 

"Wow, that's great news!" Chie exclaimed ecstatically over the phone as Adachi told her about his hearing results, "So you'll be out by Christmas next year!" 

"Yeah." he nodded, "And Dojima-san's already filed to be my parole officer even though it's kind of out of his usual area." He smiled. 

"Awesome! Is he gonna find you a new job then, too?" she asked. He'd forgotten that when he got out he'd be out of a job. It wasn't like a convicted felon could just join up with the police force again... 

"Ah, yeah... probably." he nodded, "Maybe he can set something up for me at Junes. I-It's still open, right?" he pressed against the window, jokingly desperate. Chie laughed at that. 

"Of course! They've expanded some of the sections a little, too. I think they've also got some kind of deal with local businesses now?" she shrugged and he nodded. This was small talk, this was not good... 

"Oh, what about you? Do you have a job? How's school going?" She'd mentioned college before, so he assumed she was still taking classes. 

"Oh! I've been apprenticing for Daidara-san! He mostly has me make deliveries and stuff, so I got a bike..." His eyes lit up at the word bike, so she quickly shook her head "Oh no no, not a motorcycle. Just a bike bike. School's going pretty good, but it's tough. Criminal law is a tricky subject." 

"C-criminal law?" he stammered, backing away from the glass nervously and she laughed again. 

"Yeah! I wanna be a cop and protect people! But I'm not that good with the psychology part... I don't... I don't like trying to get inside the culprit's head. And I don't think all criminals think like that..." she tugged at her sleeve nervously and there was a few seconds where nothing was said. 

"What do you mean by that?" He wasn't sure he wanted to know, because her answer to this question could crush all the hope he'd built up. This whole topic of conversation already had him a little on edge. 

"Well, I mean, like you... I don't think everyone who commits a crime is a psychopath like they're trying to teach us. I think mostly they're just scared, and I think a lot of crimes could be prevented if people were just... friendlier. Is that dumb?" Her face was bewildered and a little embarrassed, and he knew he had to say something now. 

"Not at... not at all. I think you're right..." If people were just friendlier maybe crimes could be prevented... It was a nice thought, a sweet thought, but his perverted mind took it to a perverted conclusion that scared him. _If Yamano had just been 'friendlier' I wouldn't have done what I did and none of this would have happened._ No, that wasn't right... _But if I hadn't gotten so fixated on her she never would have rejected me and I wouldn't have done what I did..._ From there, he went even further _What if I tell Chie how I feel and she reacts the same way? What if i do the same thing again?_ And while the girl in question continued talking to him, that thought echoed through his mind. His responses for the rest of the day were dazed and half-hearted - he really couldn't stop thinking that thought - and when she left that day there was something like disappointment written on her face.

~~~ 

The next few weeks were hard and bad for Adachi. That single thought had scared him so much that he neglected eating and shaving, and it kept him awake late at night. He already knew that he'd never ever forgive himself if he allowed history to repeat itself, so he thought that maybe the best way to deal with things was to give her the cold shoulder. 

"So it's Christmas soon..." she said, the next time she visited. 

"Yeah... So?" he had to summon every ounce of restraint to pull off the bored response he gave her. 

"So... is there anything you want? You probably don't get a lot of presents..." 

"I don't care. It's just another day on the calendar." 

"O-oh... I thought maybe I could get you something, but if you don't celebrate it, that's fine..." On this visit there were even more long pauses where nothing was said, and she left that time looking depressed, which only made Adachi feel terrible. This was... for the best, though... wasn't it? It didn't change the fact that he lay awake crying all night until his cellmate yelled at him to shut up. 

He didn't get a Christmas card or present from Chie that year, and not seeing her or hearing her voice hurt more than he'd imagined it would. But it was all for the best...

~~~ 

He didn't see her at New Year's, either, and was starting to wonder if she'd stopped coming for good, but on February 1st she showed up, just as nervous as the first time she'd visited, with a box and a card. He gasped and his heart jumped a little at the sight of them... 

"Happy birthday, Adachi." she smiled, but more sadly than she had before, "They already searched it, I didn't hide any sort of file for you to escape." her laugh was weak, too. 

"You remembered..." was all he could say. He was stunned. He just stared at the box on her side of the window, wondering what she could have gotten him, what the card said and what cute animals were on it this time. And he couldn't help himself, he was happy. He was excited. 

"Of course I did. I told you last year I wouldn't forget." she said, looking at the table. "O-open it now..." 

"That's kind of hard when it's on your side of the window..." he scratched his finger against it and she jumped a little. 

"Oh, right! Sorry! Um!" she called over one of the guards, "Could you give this to him? It's been cleared and everything..." The guard nodded, and a minute later the box lay in the exact same place, only on Adachi's side of the glass. "Open it now! It's time-sensitive!" 

He opened the card first - it was a little one this time, with frogs and kappas. The kappa inside had a cucumber with a candle on it and the words read: 

Happy birthday Adachi! I don't know what's got you so down lately, but please smile! 

and at the end there were little hand-drawn hearts and x's and o's to represent kisses and hugs and the words "Love Chie" Love... _Love_ Chie? He was already getting misty-eyed, but he wanted to know what she meant by that... 

"Open the present, open it!" she urged impatiently, and he made up his mind that after he opened it he'd ask her. The box was one of the kind with the top that just lifted off, like some cake boxes, but inside was no cake. There, on a plate, sat three chubby little stuffed cabbage rolls. Anyone else would've found it a bizarre birthday present, but Tohru Adachi was not anyone else. 

"Y-you... you gave me..." he started but she shook her head and interrupted. 

"_Made_ you. I made you cabbage rolls. Y-you said you liked cabbage, right? I didn't mishear you?" she looked worried now, and he just laughed. 

"No, I love them! I just didn't expect... I... thank you!" he really was crying tears of joy now, and he felt a little silly as he wiped his eyes, "Thank you so much!" 

"Go ahead and try one!" she beamed, and he obediently nodded and picked one up before taking a bite. It was... 

Delicous! The best thing he'd ever tasted, and his eyes watered more. What was in there? Beef? Onions? Tomato sauce... And something that seemed a little off but made it taste that much better. "This is so good!" he said, mouth full and tears running out of his eyes. 

"I'm glad you like it! I practiced really hard and asked a bunch of friends for help..." And anyone who knew Chie Satonaka would have immediately known how much she cared about the man. For a girl who was so bad at cooking to try so hard to make something good, and to actually succeed... 

"Oh! I wanted to ask you something!" Adachi exclaimed, his mouth still full of stuffed cabbage roll. He picked up the little card and held it open against the glass, pointing at the little hearts and hugs and kisses and the 'love Chie.' "What do you mean by this?" He had to know exactly what her intentions were before he continued making what could be the third-biggest mistake of his life (the first two being the murders). 

Chie blushed heavily and stammered a little "W-well... um... it means... It means what it says. I kinda..." she smiled and winked, laughing at herself, "I guess I kinda love you." and she blew him a kiss. 

Adachi's eyes widened, his jaw dropped, and he let the half of a cabbage roll in his hand fall back onto the plate in the box. He pressed his hands and forehead against the window and just stared at her, dumbfounded, ecstatic, sorry... "You... really? I-if this is a joke I'll never forgive you!" 

"Why would I joke about something like that?" she was taken aback, but he just beamed and pressed harder on the glass, crying again. 

"That guardian angel you mentioned in your last letter... it must be you." the line was cheesy, but heartfelt, "You've made me so happy..." 

"S-so you... you really _do_ feel the same way? I thought you did, but the last couple times you were so mean, so I wasn't sure..." 

"I-I was... I didn't... I'm sorry. I was afraid that if I got close and you didn't feel the same way I'd do what I did... b-before..." he wasn't sure his sentence was even coherent, but she seemed to understand it. 

"You stupid idiot." she said it affectionately, and laughed at him, "Why do you think I visit you all the time?" 

"B-because you're a good person?" he answered dumbly, and they both laughed for a little bit. 

"You need to take care of yourself, you look like you haven't been eating! And your face is getting fuzzy..." she poked at the glass, indicating the stubble that he hadn't bothered to shave in a while now. 

"Yeah... I-I'll shave it!" he laughed. 

"You don't have to shave all of it... but you look younger without it. How old are you today, by the way?" she asked as if she'd never really considered his age before. 

"Thirty. I'm ten years older than you..." he looked down, a little ashamed, but she just shrugged. 

"So what? We're grownups, and those kind of relationships happen all the time. Besides, I like you and you like me... there's no problem." 

"Well, except for the fact that I'm kinda in prison right now." he laughed, and so did she but she shook her head. 

"Well yeah, but that's only for another ten months. It'll go by like that! And I'll come visit more often so you're not as bored." The guard came in then to tell them that her visiting time was almost up, so they quickly said their goodbyes and Adachi had the best sleep he'd ever had in prison.


	3. Chapter 3

From then on Chie's visits grew more and more frequent, and with them Adachi's mood rose to a whole new level of happiness. They talked about everything, and every once in a while she'd bring him a little present or another one of her cute little notes - he'd told her that he liked them, so she tried to make them as often as she could. Every meeting they'd count down the months and weeks until he was a free man. 

She told him that she'd taken to telling her friends that she had a boyfriend and that he was older than her, but never that he was in prison - she was still ashamed of that and he didn't blame her one bit. He was just ecstatic that she thought of him that way, and he started telling Yashiro - who didn't care and just wanted Adachi to shut up - that he had a girlfriend. 

Their topics of conversation didn't change much, and Adachi didn't mind that one bit. They still carried on the same as they used to, but there seemed to be some kind of barrier that had come down between them. He felt particularly liberated knowing he could think whatever he wanted about her without feeling guilty - although he still did feel guilty sometimes - and not have to worry about his previous fear becoming a reality. She seemed glad to have someone to talk to, and he wondered if maybe she wasn't as open with her friends. He would always comment on her outfit, so she was always trying out new styles and 'modeling' them for him. He thought she looked good in everything, but he was especially fond of outfits that showed off her legs or exposed some cleavage. 

During one visit, she wore short shorts that were ruffled at the bottom and a halter with a tear-drop cut in the middle that exposed a fair amount of cleavage. "You are so smoking hot right now, I just want to squeeze you in all those _soft_ places..." His eyes roamed her curves and she blushed profusely. 

"You're such a pervert!" she laughed, covering the cut in her top and shaking her head. 

"Hey, I'm stuck in _prison_ with a bunch of _men_! Of course I'm excited! You should be happy they haven't turned me gay!" he whined defensively, and she laughed again. 

"I don't think I can imagine a _gay_ Tohru Adachi..." she snickered, and then leaned against the glass and did a bad imitation of his voice, moaning "Ohhhh, Dojima-san~ Right there, that's wonderful~" 

He stared blankly at her and shook his head, "Hell no! I just... eugh! I mean..." he cringed and stuck his tongue out in disgust, "Ew!" 

"I'm just teasing, silly!" she tapped at the glass. He noticed she did that a lot, and he wondered if she was anxious - like he was - for the day when there wouldn't be a glass window standing between them. 

They blew each other kisses before she left, and Adachi stayed up late thinking about Chie and woke up the next morning impatiently waiting for the next time he'd get to see her.

~~~ 

Chie's next visit brought along news that was both good and bad. Her exams were coming up and she needed to focus on studying for them. They were her last college exams, and once they were over she was going to take the police exams. 

"I probably won't be able to visit for a couple months..." she said sadly, frowning at him with big eyes. 

"What? Noooo, but I'll miss you so much!" he pouted. 

"I know, but when I come back I might be a police officer! I'll even show off my uniform if I get in~." That seemed to stop his pouting, and he spent the next few minutes gushing over how sexy she'd look. 

"Since I might not hear from you for a while you'd better give me something good to remember you by!" he pointed his finger at her in mock seriousness. 

"Mm... how about a hug?" she smiled, but he looked incredulous. 

"How can we hug? We're on opposite sides of a big window!" but she shook her head at him and smiled. 

"Like this~" she spread her arms and leaned up against the glass. Her face was pressed up against it as was her cleavage - she was wearing a low-cut tank top with a short sleeved cardigan and a skirt. He pressed his hands against the glass where her breasts were and made motions like he was groping them, and then moved them away, nuzzling his head against the same spot on the glass. After a bit more goofing around he pressed himself against the glass to return the window-hug. 

"I'll miss you so much! Will you write to me? Maybe send pictures~?" he waggled his eyebrows and she laughed again. 

"I'll definitely write, but we'll see about the pictures... Maybe if you behave..." he immediately sat up straight and started panting like a happy dog. "You're just too funny! And I'll do my best to visit on my birthday, so you better plan something good!" 

"Conjugal visit?" he suggested, smiling sheepishly. She gave him a look and he laughed, "J-just kidding! Um... I'll try to think of something!" 

"Good! I'll see you then, ok? Love ya, Adachi~" she winked and blew him a kiss, and he did so in return and then she was gone.

~~~ 

It was May when she'd left, and the days seemed to crawl by until July. She sent him more of her cute little cards - a couple of which had graduated from 'cute', one being quite visibly sealed with a kiss and another containing a photo that was cute, but not quite as sexy as Adachi had been hoping for - updating him on her situation: studying was frustrating her and she was losing confidence in herself. He wanted to write back and tell her not to worry, or tell her that he was cheering for her. He was reading over one of her notes one day when one of the guards told him he had a visitor. 

It was still early July, Chie wasn't supposed to be done with exams yet... Adachi wondered why she would be visiting him as he headed for the window, but when he looked up he realized Chie wasn't the one visiting him. 

"Ah... Dojima-san, what brings you here?" Adachi's surprise at his ex-partner's visit masked the disappointment that the man was not Chie. 

"Adachi, we need to talk..." Dojima sighed and Adachi gulped. Whatever they had to talk about, Dojima's tone of voice had already tipped him off that it was not good. 

"A-about what? Does this have to do with my parole or finding a job or something?" he suggested, tilting his head. 

"Sort of... It has to do with you and Chie Satonaka." He said her name and Adachi's shoulders slumped. How did Dojima even know there was something between him and Chie? If he did, why was it any of his business? 

"W-what about her?" Adachi asked defiantly. 

"You're seeing her, aren't you? From February to May she visited an average of three times a week. What exactly is going on between you two?" 

"Why does it matter to you? She visits a lot, we talk. Besides, she's almost 21, there's no reason I can't have a relationship with her!" Adachi could hear himself and he knew he sounded like a whiny teenager. Dojima apparently heard it, too. 

"You're being immature and jumping to conclusions. I'm not saying the age difference is a problem - Chisato and I were eight years apart when I married her - but she's training to be a police officer and you're a convicted felon." Dojima's voice was even, but he wasn't trying to sugarcoat anything. That wasn't his style. 

"So? So just because she's a police officer I can't go out with her?" he scowled. It wasn't so much that he was mad at Dojima, he just didn't like being told what to do. 

"I'm saying you should think this through. Your track record with women speaks for itself, but you could also be putting her future job in danger." he looked Adachi sternly in the eyes and the younger man sighed. 

"Is it against the law now for cops to date ex-cons? Or are you worried that I'll be a bad influence on one of your precious rookies? Because it doesn't work that way, Dojima-san! Chie's the one who's having an influence on me!" he wasn't that angry, just a little annoyed. 

"Adachi, I'm talking to you as a friend right now, not a cop. I just don't want you to be too hasty." Adachi laughed out loud as he finished his sentence. 

"_Hasty?_ You think it's _hasty_ for me to start dating a girl after we've been talking to each other for three-and-a-half years?" He wanted to yell that that was more time than a lot of couples knew each other before they were getting divorced, but he refrained. 

"I think it's hasty for you to start dating a girl after you get out of prison for murder, which if I'm not mistaken started out as attempted rape!" Dojima's fist came down on the table. 

"Don't think I haven't considered that, too, Dojima-san..." Adachi said quietly, his anger lost, "I spent the better part of four months letting that thought scare me out of being happy." 

"I didn't realize that Chie had made you a more thoughtful person as well as a kinder one." Dojima replied, and while there might have been a hint of sarcasm in there it wasn't intended venomously. 

"Yeah, well... Maybe prison's actually doing its job and straightening me out." Adachi shrugged. He looked up to see Dojima smiling at him. 

"You're actually turning out alright, Adachi. But as your friend and future parole officer, I'll tell you now that you're not going to start fooling around with her once you get out." Now his expression was somewhere between stern and joking, a side of Dojima Adachi didn't get to see very often, if at all. 

"You sound like she's your daughter." Adachi laughed, shaking his head, "And you think you're a bad father to Nanako, Dojima-san... I don't think you have anything to worry about." 

They talked about Nanako and Inaba for a while before Dojima left, and despite his ex-partner's harsh warnings he was glad to see that there was someone else out there who was looking out for Chie.

~~~ 

Finally, Chie's 21st birthday came and even though he'd promised to do something special Adachi wound up the morning of wracking his brain for ideas for what he could do. In the end, he finally came up with something. He just hoped she didn't think it was too dumb... 

"Heeeeey, cutie! Happy birthday!" he winked at her as he nervously played with the piece of paper in his hands. She was wearing a sundress today, and a hat with a ribbon that matched the dress. It was a pale yellow with embroidered butterflies. 

"Hey~ You've been good? You didn't miss me too much while I was away, did you? " she smiled at him and pressed her hand against the glass. He pressed his palm against where hers was and spent a few seconds looking at the difference in size. 

"I missed you loads, but it was all worth it! How's exams going?" 

"I graduated!" she exclaimed, and he let out a cheer, "I'm still working on my police exams, but compared to college finals they'll be a piece of cake!" 

"Congratulations! Sorry I couldn't be there. Oh! I-I've got a present for you... sort of..." he messed with the piece of paper for a few more seconds and she looked at it curiously. 

"Oh? What is it?" she could already tell it had something to do with the paper, and she looked at him eagerly, waiting for him to tell her. 

"It's a haiku. Sorry it's not something cooler... and it's kinda dorky, but um..." he cleared his throat before reading it: 

"You light up my life  
>With your own brand of sunshine<br>You see good in me. 

Sorry the theme doesn't exactly flow through the whole thing..." he started making excuses for the poem and she pressed her fingers to the glass over where his mouth was from her point of view. He stopped talking and stared at her. 

"It's the best poem ever! The words are from your heart, it doesn't matter how poetic they sound. What matters is that I love it. I love you!" She seemed to be radiating sunlight, her smile was so warm and sweet. 

"I'm glad. Good luck on the police exams! If I could pass them I know you can!" he encouraged her, and they said their goodbyes and blew their kisses and he was left wondering when he'd get to see her again.

~~~ 

It was almost three months before he did, and it was driving him crazy. He read over every cute little card she sent him so many times, until he had them memorized and he could hear her saying the words as he drifted off to sleep. The solitude gave him time to reflect, and he would start wondering if Dojima was right, if he was making a mistake by wanting to be with her. Still, no matter what he tried to tell himself, it hurt trying to imagine not seeing her again, and he knew he couldn't give up. 

In mid-October, Adachi was sitting in his cell reading over one of the cards again, when one of the prison guards told him the news. He immediately jumped up, dropping the card, and waited - excitedly and impatiently - to be led to the window. When he got there, Chie was wearing a police uniform - as she'd promised before - and he grinned at her, ear-to-ear. 

"I take it that getup means you passed?" he pointed, not even trying to hide how elated he was. 

"Yup! I am now _officer_ Chie Satonaka! And you're two months away from getting out." she smiled. and he realized that he'd been so anxious to see her again he hadn't even been counting down the days left in his sentence. 

"Whoah, you're right... Time flies, I guess..." he laughed. 

"Are you excited?" Chie smiled at him, tilting her head. 

Wow... how did he answer that question? It was a no-brainer, really, but... "Are you kidding me? You have no idea... To be out of here, to have my life back, to not have to share a room with a guy with piercings, to be able to eat cabbage dishes on a regular basis..." he shook his head, the list went on and on. "To not have this damn wall in between us... do you know how excited I am about that?" 

She grinned back, "I think I have some idea..." 

"You've been on the outside, you have _no_ ide- oh." She gave him a look mid-sentence that shut him up, and he nodded and grinned like an idiot, "Yeah, you probably have some idea." 

"That's right. You're so close now, don't do anything to screw it up, ok?" Her smile was sweet, and he was sure she was joking, but that response still ushered a nervous laugh from him. 

"Right. I'll be good, don't worry. So... until next time...?" He noticed the guard coming in to say that time was almost up. Chie followed his gaze and noticed, too. 

She nodded, "Until next time." then she kissed her fingers and pressed them up to the glass, and Adachi did the same. The guard awkwardly allowed them their moment before escorting Chie out.

~~~ 

Two months and many visits later, it was December 19th - the date of Adachi's release. The first visitor to show up was Dojima. Adachi hoped to avoid a repeat of their previous conversation about Chie, but Dojima didn't seem as keen on that idea. The two spoke in one of the questioning rooms, across from a table, Adachi in handcuffs. 

"Alright, in a few hours I won't just be your ex-partner, I'll be your parole officer." Dojima said sternly, studying Adachi's face as if trying to read his thoughts. 

"So I'll still answer to you. Just like old times." Adachi smiled wryly, and Dojima returned the smile. 

"This time things will be a bit different..." he frowned, stern again, "You may be a free man, but your actions have consequences. I have to keep you on a tight leash." 

"Kinky." Adachi muttered sarcastically, "Is this your roundabout way of saying" and he did his best imitation of Dojima's voice "'you're not going to start fooling around with Chie'?" 

Dojima was clearly not amused by this, and he let out a sigh, "The two of you really seem to care about each other, as strange as that seems, but I'm obligated to protect people, and..." 

"Oh not this bullshit again..." Adachi cut him off, rolling his eyes. 

"When you murder two people you can't expect to regain all of a person's trust just like that." Dojima snapped back. 

"Maybe you don't trust me, but Chie does!" Adachi half-whined half-shouted. 

"And Chie is an impressionable young woman. Look, Adachi, I'm not forbidding you from seeing her I'm just being cautious about-" 

"Oh cut the protective father crap, Dojima-san! What's going to happen is going to happen, do you really think I'm masochistic enough to risk letting something happen to get me put back in this hellhole?" There was a pause after Adachi's shouting, and the lack of yelling back from Dojima sent a chill down Adachi's spine. 

"I don't think you would ever intentionally do anything like that, no, I'd like to think I know you well enough to know that... but I'm worried that you might snap in the heat of the moment." Dojima's speech was even, and a bit on the quiet side, and Adachi didn't answer. He couldn't answer, because after all that shouting he didn't want Dojima to know that he still worried about the same thing. But whether he said it or not, Dojima knew. 

"Just..." Adachi sighed, "Can't we discuss this with Chie, too? Her thoughts on the subject are just as important as either of ours..." 

"Fair enough." Dojima nodded, "She's coming to see you out, right? We can talk then."

~~~ 

Half an hour later, Chie was escorted to the questioning room by a prison guard. Adachi and Dojima had drifted from the topic of dating and were laughing about something cute that Nanako had done in school when she walked in. 

"Hey~!" Without the window in-between, Chie ran up to Adachi and tackle-hugged him, kissing his cheek a few times before looking back at Dojima sheepishly to make sure she wasn't out of line. 

"It's alright, I can see you kids are excited to see each other." Adachi shot him a look at the two of them being called kids, but he ignored it, "But we do have a few things to discuss..." 

"Discuss?" Chie loosened her arms from Adachi's neck and scooted into the chair next to him, tilting her head at Dojima. 

"He doesn't want us to have any fun when I get out." Adachi said matter-of-factly, and this time it was Dojima who gave _him_ a look. 

"I never said that. I'm just concerned about both of you. I don't have a problem with... this" he gestured to the both of them in reference to Chie's hugging and kissing from a few moments ago, "But you're on probation, Adachi. It's risky to just..." 

This time Chie cut Dojima off, "You don't have to worry, sir. I know full well what I'm getting myself into, I trust Adachi!" Adachi smiled, but Dojima frowned. 

"But suppose he gets overly excited and tries-" 

"I can defend myself, Dojima-san! If he tries anything funny... Hwa-ta!" She stood and struck a martial arts pose, clumsily kicking over the chair as she did so. Both of the men had to stifle laughter. 

"I'm still not entirely convinced..." Dojima raised an eyebrow. 

"Sir, I love Adachi but I'm not afraid to hit him if it's for his own good!" Chie sounded so chipper, and Adachi gulped in mock-nervousness. 

Dojima laughed for real this time, "I think you two will be alright... But don't think that means I'm not going to keep my eye on you..." 

"Of course not..." Adachi replied dryly, and Chie elbowed him - but not to hard - in the shoulder. 

"Adachi! Dojima-san's just looking out for both of us! We appreciate it, sir!" she bowed, "But we really will be alright." 

"I don't doubt it, but it's my job to see to it that this guy stays out of trouble." he gestured toward Adachi with his thumb, "Anyway, the paperwork's all done, I'm sure we're all anxious to get out of here." He looked at Adachi, "Some of us more than others." 

Adachi nodded, "Finally... does that mean I can lose the cuffs?" He held up his still bound hands questioningly. 

"Once we get out of here, yes." Dojima nodded and stood, grabbing his jacket from the back of the seat. Chie and Adachi followed suit and the three left the room.

~~~ 

It was his first breath of fresh air in years, and Adachi took the time to enjoy it. He breathed in deeply and let the cold winter air soak into his lungs. Dojima gave him his moment before escorting him to the police car. He opened the door and Adachi slid into the backseat, Dojima taking the driver's seat and Chie the passenger's seat. For a while no one said anything, but it didn't seem awkward. Then Dojima started up the car and left the station. 

"So did you find me a new place to live?" Adachi was curious, it felt so strange to be going home to a place that wasn't a cell. 

"Yeah. Your old apartment was still available, but I figured it'd be better if you were staying somewhere new." Dojima replied curtly. 

"I went with Dojima-san to check out the place, it's nice, don't worry!" Chie looked over her seat back at Adachi and he smiled. 

"Oh, well in that case it must be great!" 

"All your stuff's there, too. Boxed up and everything, of course. You'll have some unpacking to do." Chie nodded in response. 

"Maybe you guys can give me a hand with that?" Adachi tilted his head. 

"That's the plan." Dojima replied as he pulled up in front of an apartment complex. Adachi recognized the neighborhood and realized it was very near Dojima's house. _Oh, he'll be keeping an eye on me, that's for sure..._ the man thought begrudgingly. 

The three piled out of the car and Dojima led the way to Adachi's apartment. It was on the second floor, just like his old one had been. Once they got to the apartment Dojima stopped in front of the door and tossed a key to Adachi. "This is your place, you should be the one to open the door." 

He stared at the key in puzzlement for a few moments before hurrying over to the door. He slowly turned the knob, and it was a strange feeling - the metal knob in his hand, knowing this was where he was going to be living now, no more prison. Time slowed down as he opened the door. 

Inside, the apartment was empty aside from the boxes stacked up near the door. The floor and walls were in better condition than his old apartment, and the windows seemed to let more light in. He stood in the doorway staring at it, almost afraid to go in. This wasn't some ridiculously long dream, was it? He was actually here? He heard Dojima and Chie shuffling a bit impatiently behind him and made up his mind to go in. Taking a step inside, he fell onto the floor on his back. "I live here... I can actually _live_ here!" 

Dojima and Chie walked in after him and looked down at him - their eyes wandering around the apartment as if giving it a final appraisal. Adachi looked up at both of them - the high-spirited girl who'd believed in him and his stern ex-partner who was now his parole officer. An embarrassing urge came over him and he quickly sat up and pulled the both of them into a hug. 

"Sorry. Dunno what the hell that was about..." he said - mostly to Dojima - after he let go, but he just shook his head. 

"This time, you're allowed. And to think you're not even drunk." He chuckled.

~~~ 

After talking and lunch - skillfully prepared by Adachi to the surprise of both of his guests - the unpacking started. The three each took boxes and began going through them. Some things got thrown out, and Adachi would dictate to Chie and Dojima what went where in his apartment. 

Chie was the one to discover the box of porn - everything form magazines to DVD's to manga - and gave Adachi a stern glare to which he replied with some nervousness, "E-easy now, I didn't have a girlfriend before I was in prison! Eheheh..." Nevertheless, she tossed them all in the garbage. 

It was late when they had finally finished, and Dojima stood up "I'll drop Chie off on my way home. I'm sure we'll both be back tomorrow..." He looked at Chie, and she nodded vigorously. 

"Aww, why don't you two stay for a drink?" Adachi pouted, but Dojima shook his head sternly. 

"There'll be time for drinks some other time, Adachi." He walked over to the door and both Chie and Adachi followed. As Dojima opened the door their eyes all widened. 

"It's snowing..." Chie murmured, holding her hand out to catch a snowflake. It wasn't snowing hard, but she was indeed correct. The three stepped out onto the landing and marveled at the snow - it wasn't unheard of to get December snow in this part of the country, but it was certainly unusual - until Dojima cleared his throat indicating it was time to go. 

Adachi and Chie shared a kiss before they left - their first _real_ kiss as a couple, and Adachi very nearly got carried away but Dojima cleared his throat again and Adachi pulled away sheepishly. "I'll see you later, baby~!" Chie smiled and blushed, and gave a little wave as she and Dojima left for the night, leaving Adachi all alone.

~~~ 

Two days later Chie invited Adachi to go to a film festival with her - they were playing old kung fu movies all day. Adachi thought it was an odd choice, but the possibility of being alone in a movie theater with Chie was more than enough to make him say yes. Dojima begrudgingly consented - he had promised to spend the day with Nanako, anyway - to let them go alone, which only fueled Adachi's elation. 

"So why kung fu movies?" Adachi asked as he and Chie searched the theater for a place to sit - the theater wasn't packed, quite the opposite in fact, the problem was deciding on a good seat. 

"I _love_ kung fu movies! Where do you think I learned martial arts?" she smiled, and Adachi fondly remembered fighting alongside her inside the TV and trying to look up her skirt. 

"I never really thought about it... that's pretty cute." he smiled, stopping, "Why don't we sit here?" The seats were in the very back of the theater, and Chie could only assume she knew what Adachi was thinking. 

"Sure... I suppose you're not really interested in kung fu movies, are you?" She might've sounded a little disappointed, but if she was she masked it well. 

"Bingo. This is our first date alone together, so..." he trailed off as he sat down and looked her over. 

"Right..." she blushed, apparently a little nervous, "I guess you wanna make the most of our time together..." 

He leaned in and kissed her, "That's right." And this time he allowed himself to get carried away - but not too far. They didn't do anything more than make out during the movie - between catching brief glimpses of the action when Chie would get distracted by flying kicks - but both left the theater looking genuinely happy. 

Adachi walked Chie home after the movie, and when they got to her doorstep - she had her own apartment now, no roommate to his knowledge - he gave her another kiss. She unlocked the door and he tried to follow her in, but she shook her head. "Not tonight~" 

"Aww man..." Adachi frowned and she just laughed. 

"You'll get your chance, just not right now, ok? Good night. Love you~" she kissed his nose and he smiled in spite of his disappointment. 

"Good night. Love you, too. Hey, you're coming with me to Dojima's for dinner on the 24th, right?" He asked, leaning on the doorframe. 

"Of course! Are we supposed to bring anything? Like food?" she tilted her head. 

"I told him I'd make something, don't worry." Adachi nodded. 

"No! I-I... I wanna try making those cabbage rolls again. To see if I can do it..." she looked down, determined. 

"Ok... we can both bring something, then, I guess." he smiled, gave her another kiss, and walked home.

~~~ 

On December 24th, Adachi and Chie showed up at the Dojima house together - Chie holding a plate of stuffed cabbage rolls and Adachi holding a plate of _okonomiyaki_ - Japanese savory pancakes. Dojima took the plates from them and set them down on the table, offering to take their coats. The snow from the other night was back, and this time it didn't look like it was going to stop. 

"Glad you could make it. Merry Christmas, I guess." Dojima tacked on the last part as an afterthought. Christmas was never that big a holiday in Japan. 

"Oh, we got Nanako-chan a present!" Chie piped in, holding out a box with a cute, handmade envelope attached to it. 

"Yay!" Nanako squealed as Chie handed her the box, "Can I open it, Dad? _Please_?" 

Dojima smiled, "Sure, if that's alright with them..." Nanako looked up at Adachi and Chie and they nodded immediately. She carefully opened the card, which was another of Chie's creations. 

"There's a platypus on it!" her eyes widened and she excitedly tore into the wrapping paper. 

"You still like platypuses?" Dojima asked her, somewhat teasingly. 

"_Dad_..." Nanako, who had just turned eleven recently, was apparently embarrassed, "Of _course_ I do..." and she lifted her present out of the box to reveal a platypus plushie. "Wow! I love it!" 

"Dojima, your present's an IOU." Adachi said, "You need a guys' night out, you need to relax. So one of these days I'm taking you drinking!" 

"Hold on, Adachi, I can't just..." he was cut off by Chie. 

"Don't worry about it, sir! I'll babysit Nanako, it'll be fun!" 

"If you insist-" 

"And we do." Adachi cut him off this time, and Dojima shrugged and resigned himself to the IOU. The four had dinner together and talked, trying to avoid more adult subjects despite complaints from Nanako that she wasn't a baby. They laughed, and ate, and talked and soon it was time to go. Adachi and Chie got up from their seats and the Dojimas followed them to the door. 

"Walk safely!" Nanako called after them as they headed out the door. Adachi no longer had a car, so he was in the habit of walking everywhere now. He and Chie called back that they would, and started down the street. 

"Where are you going?" Chie asked him after they'd walked a few blocks. 

"I'm walking you back to your apartment..." Adachi replied, looking a little puzzled. 

"Not... tonight." She smiled up at him and he felt his cheeks turn red, "Can we go back to your place?" 

"S-seriously!" he exclaimed, failing to hide his elation. Chie just smiled up at him and giggled. 

"Why would I joke about something like that? It's Christmas eve... It's romantic, right?" she stood on her tiptoes and kissed him. 

"True enough..." he smiled, "Were you planning this? Is that why you said no the other day?" he raised an eyebrow at her. 

"Maaaaaybe..." she winked, and he just shook his head and smiled. 

"I'm certainly not complaining!" he grinned. 

They changed course and walked through the thin layer of snow to his apartment, talking and laughing all the way. And when they got there, Tohru Adachi spent a long time with Chie Satonaka.


End file.
